This invention is a system for handling and organizing both radiographs (X-rays) and the written patient records resulting from X-ray examination. The system makes use of visual coding techniques to enable the radiologist and other individuals, such as attending physicians and radiological technicians, to identify at a glance those X-rays and related written findings from a patient's medical history which are relevant to the problem he is presently studying. The system is of particular benefit when the physician is treating a patient with a varied and lengthy medical history.
The common method presently used to store and organize X-rays is merely to file all of the X-rays of a patient in an envelope. Written findings relating to the X-rays are either stored separately or written on the storage envelope. In order to locate and identify individual films when using the prior art system, it is necessary to manually go through each X-ray picture in a patient's history, hold it up to the light and make a detailed observation of the radiograph's contents. If a series of radiographs of the same body system or body part must be reviewed and located from a lengthy medical history, then a substantial amount of valuable professional time is spent in the mere mechanical activity of identifying those portions of the patient's past history which are relevant to the problem at hand. To further complicate the process, it is then necessary to locate the written findings for each of the radiographs and correlate them to the picture.
In accordance with the present invention, a system is provided which affixes a coded visual display to the face of the X-ray film which provides information for determining by a quick observation of the radiograph which examination in a series of examinations the film relates to and also for determining the body system or body part represented in that film; the same code is visually displayed on the written findings referring to that X-ray. Furthermore, the system organizes the written findings in an orderly fashion on the front of the envelope to enable the fastest possible determination of the desired findings. The code can be either a color code or a symbolic code or a combination of the two.
In the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, the X-ray coding system includes two sets of coded information labels which are affixed to the X-ray film. One set displays the information relating to the number of the visit and the second set visually discloses the subject matter X-rayed in the radiograph. In addition, a series of coded information labels are affixed to the written X-ray findings which are organized on the X-ray storage envelope, these labels relate the number of the visit to enable quick identification of the proper radiographs. In this particular embodiment, each information label is both color-coded and symbolically coded.
A radiologist using applicant's invention can easily select which ones of a large number of films he is interested in without going through the laborious process of holding up each film to view it; he need only quickly observe the film to make the proper identification. He then can quickly locate the written findings and radiographs for that visit and analyze the information contained therein. Applicant's invention allows the radiologist to substantially cut down the time spent in the mechanical act of locating relevant material in a patient's history so that he can devote a greater portion of his time to his primary concern -- treating patients.
The system of the present invention can be used by itself or as an integral part of a computer organizational system whereby the patient's history is stored and recallable as needed.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which show structure embodying preferred features of the present invention and the principals thereof, and what is now considered to be the best mode in which to apply these principals.